Same Old, Same Old
by Darkhymns
Summary: So many things have changed in Phoenix's life since his time as a rookie defense attorney - but Maya was not one of them. [Spoilers for AA6 - Spirit of Justice].


**Written for Sky. Because he ships them. :)**

* * *

"We can't miss the season finale, Nick!"

That was the gist of what Maya said to him on the drive back to Wright Anything Agency. With three bags full of double-decker hamburgers, oversalted fries, and even a mini-carton containing the convenient plastic bowls teeming with Eldoon's noodles, Phoenix mourned the sad state of his wallet. But whatever Maya wanted, he gave. That's just the way it goes.

And truth to be said, he couldn't really bluff his way out of not caring much about what would happen in this particular episode of Steel Samurai: Warrior of Neo Olde Tokyo! He'd learned much about the show through Maya's ravings of it when she used to be his assistant, and then through the tapes she sent him during the time when she was away. "Make sure to take notes!" one of her letters had said. "I'll be quizzing you the next time we meet!"

With the disbarment, the failing piano gig, and a sudden new mouth to feed in his life, Phoenix had turned to those tapes and, somehow, became a bit invested in it. Well, not like he had much choice! What else was he supposed to do with his time? Once he got back his badge, he was sure he'd start putting those episodes to the wayside. Instead, he found himself tuning in to channel 8, 7 PM, Sunday night for the next episode. Maya's letters had seared the show time into his brain practically.

It was apparently a good thing, for Maya, after their return from Khura'in, immediately began grilling him with questions.

"What's the creed of the Steel clan?"

"Um, to never yield to injustice and be as immovable as steel." _(That doesn't sound as cool when I say it…)_

"What happened to the Dragon Prince in season 7?"

"He finally ascended the throne after the Steel Samurai exposed the regent for his assassination attempts!"

"Nice! Okay, where did the High Priestess summon the great ancestral spirit of the Steel Samurai? So that he could finally discover the secret to banishing the Evil Magistrate once and for all?"

"Ha, that's a trick question! She never summoned one – because the Steel Samurai refused her offer, knowing that the ritual would cost her life. He said he only needed the faith of his friends to defeat the Evil Magistrate!"

Maya had never looked so proud. "Wow, Nick! I think you're an official Steel Samurai fan! Wait till I tell Edgeworth!"

"H-hey, we don't need to do that. Besides, it's not like he cares about these kind of shows…"

Phoenix was hard-pressed as to why he cared about the show either. The flashy action was obviously staged – the lines that held the actors all too visible when the Samurai did his Ultra-Flying Kick Sword Cutter move – and the storylines tended to repeat themselves. _(Honestly, how many times are they going to accuse the High Priestess for treason against the royal family before the writers realize how overdone it is…?)_ He watched the episodes more out of force of habit than anything else.

"Can you believe they actually got the Plumed Punisher this season?" Maya was bouncing on the couch cushion, both of them with half-eaten burgers in their hands, the TV volume blaring loudly with martial art sounds and the declaration of attack names. "And now she's having a showdown with the Samurai!"

"Yeah, but aren't they both on the side of good?"

"Uh huh! There's so much tension! I don't know who to root for!"

"I'm not even sure they ever explained why they're fighting in the first place…."

It didn't really matter though. At least not for Maya. She gazed at the television screen with sparkling eyes, sometimes remembering to stuff the burger in her mouth when her stomach growled for more. Phoenix found himself looking over at her more than the show – just to make sure she didn't drop any lettuce on the floor or anything. Also she should probably chew more often. She was master of Kurain Village now! Certainly she knew the basics of food etiquette.

That was the thing. Maya was still Maya, still the same girl he met all those years ago. Now at 28, she really didn't act much differently, if at all. She still scarfed down burgers like nobody's business, she still got excited over each new episode of her favorite show, and she still burst to the seams with energy and enthusiasm for the task at hand. That last case that she had worked with him – it was like she had never left. And sure, maybe she got kinda overeager during their investigations, but she had still been a big help.

After all the changes to his life; with Trucy, with the Agency, with Apollo's recent departure… it was nice that some things in his life were… constant.

"Did you _see_ that, Nick!?" Maya stood up suddenly, giving Phoenix a mini-heart attack at the motion. She had also flailed a bit, her elbow hitting him square in the face.

"Ow!"

"Did you see that? Did you see that?!"

"I can't really see much of anything, Maya!"

He rubbed his bruised nose, but Maya had grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her, only an inch away from each other.

"The Plumed Punisher just used her legendary war'baad cry and forced the Steel Samurai to defeat!" Her expression was stuck between joy and despair. "I almost don't know how to feel!"

"Okay, just deep breaths now." He patted her back, but she was still so excited that she embraced him tightly, then collapsed into him, sprawling across his legs.

"I can't believe it! It's so cool!... But will the series end now? I don't know if I can take it!"

"Maya…" _(It's just a kid's show, geez)._ But he patiently raised her to a sitting position, even if it put more weight on his legs. "Oof, did you put on some extra weight?"

She pouted. "You sure know how to make girl feel real nice, Nick."

"Come on, I'm kidding!" He grinned at her, then ruffled her hair, making it a frizzy mess. "Also, didn't they already release a trailer for next season? I really doubt Steel Samurai is over now."

Maya took a deep breath, getting back a semblance of calm after her adrenaline-rushed reaction from the show. "Yeah. Yeah! You're right, Nick! And we have to keep supporting them to make sure they don't get cancelled!"

"It's been going on for years, I doubt they'd-"

"So first thing tomorrow! We'll go to the shopping district and get some new posters! And the new wristwatch! Oh yeah! They also got action figures which include the Plumed Punisher set! So we'll need to get that-"

"Maya, are trying to run me dry? Serious question here."

Her smile was all innocent, and all too familiar. "Not my fault you're such a big pushover!"

"Hey, I'm not-!"

The office door opened with a clack, accompanied by frustrated groans as Athena Cykes walked in, bags of groceries hanging off her thin arms.

"…Having to do Apollo's dumb chores, just so-" The young lawyer raised her head, finding her boss and his mystic friend seated on the couch that stood within the main space of the office. "Oh! I didn't-" she stammered. "I didn't mean to interrupt!"

"Wait, huh?" Phoenix didn't really get what Athena's deal was. Since when did she ever get flustered?

"Although, I mean…" Athena then smiled, putting her bags down on a nearby table, along with a smattering of case folders that she must have taken in her car. "It's about time. Nice to see you two together now."

"…Huh?"

"Wha?" Maya was just as confused.

"Enough with the act, guys." Athena gestured a bit helplessly, her long hair bouncing with the motion. "You two have been all over each other since _you_ came back, Maya." Here, Athena frowned. "And leaving me out of cases left and right… you know, the gal with an actual law degree."

"Oh, uh, sorry there, Athena," spoke Phoenix. "Someone had to entertain Trucy!"

"Yeah, just another Apollo hand-me-down…" Athena shook her head. "Whatever. Anyway, wait till I tell him the good news when I write to him!"

"Um, I think you're confused…"

"Yeah! Not like me and Nick-" Maya pointed at his face, but misjudged her proximity to him, and succeeded in neatly poking his cheek with a sharp nail. "-have anything like that going on!"

Athena narrowed her eyes. "You're sitting on his lap."

Oh. Maybe this scene did look a bit incriminating, huh?

Phoenix attempted to defend himself. "I was only trying to make her feel good!" _(Uh oh, wrong choice of words!)_ "Wait, I meant-!"

"The heck, Boss!?" Athena covered her ears. "Too much info!"

"Get a room!" cried Widget, its little body glowing yellow in shock.

Phoenix turned to a pouty Maya, one leg crossed over the other, which wasn't exactly doing his knees any favors. "Wow, Nick. To think you can stoop so low and take advantage of innocent ol' me." Then she grinned, and instantly reached for the paper bag of their burgers – of which only one was left. "You can only make it up to me by giving me your food!"

"What? No way! I paid for those!" He made a grab for it, which Maya held out of his reach.

"This is the only way to teach you for making advances on a someone so young as me!"

"Maya, you're 28 years old. _Athena's_ younger than you!"

"Guys, please don't bring me into your weird games…" Athena kept covering her ears, but her sensitive hearing continued to betray her.

Maya kept edging the burger away from Phoenix's reach. With her free hand, she placed it against his face, cutting off his sight, though that only made him reach for his lost burger even more. "Maya! I've already spent half my paycheck on your meal for you! At least let me have mine!"

"You're still dirt poor? After all this time?" Maya sidled just slightly off his knees, which messed with any balance she might have had. Immediately, she tumbled to the floor, along with Phoenix who fell right down with her.

Just one incriminating situation after another.

"Seriously! You two could at _least_ act a little more discreet about this!" He heard the rustling of papers, followed by stomping boots. "What if Trucy had been here? You're lucky she's busy with her rehearsal!"

"And we're lucky we ran off before becoming her guinea pig there!"

"Shut up, Widget!"

A door slammed, and while Maya had already moved away, he couldn't get up from his position, his face completely planted into the carpet.

"Hey, Nick." A gentle hand patted the spikes that was his hair. "I was mostly kidding. Here, you can have your burger back." He felt her shift and how she nearly placed the greasy bun atop his head. "I only took a little bite out of it anyway."

There was a problem though. "Maya…" he croaked out. "I think I threw out my back." _(Again. What is my life)._

"Oh! Again? Wow! You just have bad luck, don't you?"

 _(Thanks for the support as always…)_

"Well, don't worry about that!" He heard a terrifying sound then – the cracking of knuckles. "Mystic Maya- no, Master Maya of the Kurain Channeling Technique is here to fix you up!"

"Maya, no."

"Just one good _whack_ should do it!"

"Maya, please, I am legitimately fearing for my life right now."

"I've been training with Athena a bit, so I definitely got the hang of this."

"Maya, I think we should just call my chiropractor-!"

And though the subsequent pain from Maya's professional back-cracking made him pass out then, it didn't seem to do any permanent damage to his spinal cord, which was all he could ever hope for. At least Maya had felt bad about it, which he could tell once he woke up to her seated by his bedside, eating one of his snack wraps from the fridge.

"Sorry, Nick! Hey, next time, dinner's on me!"

He knew he was still going to pay for any and all dinners in the future, but that was what made Maya… well, Maya. And he wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
